Dr Himson Tamur Mulas, the first national specialist anaesthetist in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Dr Himson Tamur Mulas was born on the Gazelle Peninsula of East New Britain, New Guinea, on 13 March 1934. After finishing his schooling, he was selected to go to Fiji to undertake a medical course at Fiji Central Medical School in 1953, returning to New Guinea in 1958. He successfully completed residency posts and after a period of training in anaesthesia in Port Moresby, was sent to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, in 1966–1967 to further his anaesthetic career. After returning to New Guinea he undertook several administrative posts as well as continuing his anaesthetic career before settling at Nonga Hospital in Rabaul, East New Britain Province. He was first registered as a specialist anaesthetist in 1972. He went on to complete a Diploma in Public Health in New Zealand in 1974, and in 1976 completed a Diploma in Tropical Health and Hygiene at the University of Sydney. He left public hospital anaesthetic practice in 1980. He is recognised as the first New Guinean to be a specialist anaesthetist. He died on 28 July 2000 aged 66 years.

History of non-physician anaesthesia providers in Papua New Guinea: from heil tultuls to Anaesthetic Scientific Officers

“…One of this number, Dr Himson Mulas, went on to become the first specialist anaesthetist from Papua and New Guinea. 16,17…”

“…One of this number, Dr Himson Mulas, went on to become the first specialist anaesthetist from Papua and New Guinea. 16,17 In the book Taim bilong masta (a Tok Pisin term referring to the colonial era), Gunther recalls: 4 One of the greatest boons that we had followed a discussion that I had with Nugget (Dr H C) Coombs who was then head of Post-War Reconstruction. He suggested that CRTS funds, Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme funds, could be used for Papua New Guineans.…”